With gardens full of flowers for spring, why not consider eating some of them! Flowers have been used to decorate and scent the home for thousands of years. And for almost as long, flowers have also been used to flavour and decorate food. In Eastern and Middle-Eastern cultures, flowers and their essences are found in everyday food. Pastry and ice cream flavoured with ‘eau de rose’; tea redolent of jasmine; day lillies, peonies, rose and orange blossoms all used in a range of dishes; chrysanthemums in soup or fried in batter; tiger lily and saffron crocus stamens for added colour and flavour. And in Mediterranean countries squash flower fritters are a summer delicacy. Read more

This had nothing to do with edible and useful, I just wanted to mention how much pleasure I am getting from the red flowers in my garden. Probably the most dramatic is the blood red paeony poppy. This one self sows around my garden, popping up in odd corners, often flowering where I don’t want it, but I try to leave it in place at least until it flowers. I then hoick it out leaving room to plant something else. At least one plant is left to set seed, and there are thousands. I sprinkle these around the garden, thus ensuring that the whole process will be repeated next year. Read more